In a groundbreaking effort to service and provide clear and understandable health benefits information to Spanish speaking employees, Arrow Benefits Group has launched their Spanish Language Division to counter the lack of support, resources, and education in the Spanish speaking community. “We want to break the language and culture barriers. With a division specifically designed to educate, answer questions, and give guidance and resources regarding not only health insurance but employer benefits, we can break down the complexity and make insurance a more usable and valuable benefit,” says SLD Lead Rosario Avila. The employee benefits world can be confusing, and the added obstacle of information being provided in an unfamiliar language makes it much harder to understand and utilize. Even with literature provided in Spanish, the terminology is a language all its own. With their diverse understanding of the industry, and a dedicated team consisting of 6 benefit specialists and 2 HR support members that are not only fluent in Spanish and experienced in the benefits industry, but are also understanding of the culture, Arrow will bridge the gap in education and services to this large, highly valuable, and yet historically underserved demographic.

Most benefit carriers understand the importance of having benefits explained in one’s own language, but straight translations are simply not enough. When it comes to education, it is not only important to speak the language, but to explain the terminology. The issue here is if an employee does not understand the program that they are eligible for, it will be underutilized and unappreciated. By being available by phone, email and text, the Arrow Spanish Language team will ensure that employees and their families will understand what benefits they have and how their plan works. This also improves corporate culture, boosts employee morale, and saves HR departments and employers valuable time and resources.

In many cases, when an employee and their families have questions, they either ask the business owner or the HR manager. If the question is complex, the company representative may have to spend hours researching the answer, which takes them away from their regular tasks. Confidentiality is also a consideration. Especially in a small business, an employee may not feel comfortable going to the business owner or HR manager to discuss personal health matters. In many cases, if there are questions and no resources for the employee to go to, the questions go unanswered. Arrow’s Spanish Language Division will be that resource for Spanish speaking employees to be able to talk to when it comes to the personal subjects they would not feel comfortable disclosing to their employer. Senior Partner and bilingual advisor at New Aspect Financial Services, Karin Alvarado, CFS, CPFA says, “In my experience, employers with a large Spanish speaking population who hire a native Spanish speaking advisor to help educate their employees see a large increase in participation, utilization and appreciation.”

Arrow’s Spanish Language Division is engaging and encouraging participation and communication, as well as developing partnerships in the Spanish speaking community, creating consciousness of the healthcare industry and compliance issues, as well as building interpersonal relationships with Spanish speaking employees and their families. According to Rosario Avila, “The goal of the Spanish Language Division is to provide hands on, high touch support to the Spanish speaking population of our clients. Those that speak Spanish as their primary language have been largely underserved by the benefits community and it is our goal to change that.”

About Arrow Benefits Group
Arrow Benefits Group, the third largest benefits firm in the North Bay, is a proud partner of United Benefit Advisors (UBA), one of the largest benefits consulting and brokerage firms in the country. Arrow Benefits Group is the single-source solution for managing the complexities of benefits with expert advice, customized programs, and personalized solutions. Arrow’s innovative programs control costs and give employees a greater sense of financial and emotional security.